With her on-going research on mono-floral honey types and with her father being an apiculture farmer, the knowledge that Ms Janani has accumulated in Apiculture is quite vast and informative.
Ms Janani, please share details about yourself.
I am a research Scholar from the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Thanjavur.
My topic is multi-floral and mono-floral honey varieties. Honey can be described as liquid gold due to its medicinal values. It has properties like anti-oxidant, anti-diuretic, anti-microbial, etc.
There are various mono-floral honey varieties like mustard honey, saffron honey, moringa honey, neem honey, eucalyptus honey, tulsi honey, jamun honey, coriander honey. Each of them have different medicinal properties and the phytochemical components present in each type of honey differs.
We collect the mono-floral honey varieties by placing bee hive boxes close to the respective plant resources. For instance, the bee hive boxes kept in the vicinity of eucalyptus plants will give us eucalyptus honey.
Whether it is mono-floral or multi-floral honey, the honey properties differ with the environmental conditions, temperature and plant sources and honey bee varieties. Generally we have four types of honey bee varieties - Italian bee, Indian bee, Little bee and Rock bee. In India, generally we employ Italian and Indian bee hives for apiculture.
Italian bee varieties give more yield in comparison to Indian bee varieties. When we collect around 5kgs honey from Indian bee hives per month, we can collect about 7 - 10kgs honey from Italian bee hives.
We have our own bee hive farm - Usha honey bee farm. My father runs the business. My father markets the product under the brand name Maruthi Natural Honey. We started this business 10 years ago and it has been successful for so long. We sell both mono-floral and multi-floral varieties and sell value added products as well like amla with honey, ginger in honey, dry fruits and nuts in honey etc.
Are you currently into the research alone or are you part of the family business as well?
I am now focussed on my study on mono-floral honey varieties. When more than 60% of a plants pollen is present in the honey, it is called mono-floral honey. Everybody sells different types of honey and it is very difficult to tell how genuine the product is when you are a new buyer. My research topic is to compare different kinds of mono-floral honey.
This institute offers Ph.D. FPE and B Tech and M Tech courses fully related to food science and technology and food processing industry. It is a central government institution. All researches conducted here revolve around food processing and related topics.
What type of honey is most prevalent in the market today?
Both varieties are available in the Indian market. India is one of the largest producers of the mono-floral honey varieties in the world. But, in India we are not aware of the types of mono-floral honey varieties and do not use it much.
How can a consumer distinguish between mono-floral and multi-floral honey varieties?
The basic difference is the smell and colour. Different mono-floral honey will have different smells. But the main and best way to distinguish them is through pollen analysis which is a laboratory test.
So, it is difficult for a consumer to identify this themselves.
The thing is that when we focus on the multi-floral honey variety the taste, flavour and colour differs according to the environmental condition, season and plant sources. This is the same for mono-floral honey varieties as well. Unprocessed mustard honey for instance will look like ghee. Saffron honey will be slightly light brown in colour, whereas the multi-floral honey tends to have a dark brown shade. So, to some extent color helps in the identification. But, you can never be sure. So, lab tests are the best source of identification.
What guidelines would you suggest for a person who wants to venture into the honey business?
Nowadays the Indian Government is focused on apiculture. The Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) provides a lot of opportunities for apiculture. They provide financial support and from the agriculture department they provide honey bee boxes along with the bee hives. If anyone is interested in venturing into the apiculture business, they can directly contact the agriculture department at their district for assistance.
Additionally, many organizations provide training programmes. The Karnataka government organizes many training programmes in relation to apiculture. The Garden City University recently started short term courses related to apiculture. Classes are conducted during Saturday and Sunday for 6 months. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University conducts specialised training programmes in apiculture. In Pune, the Central Bee Research Institute conducts training programmes.
To start this venture, people should be thorough on the honey collection and processing methodology. It is not a big deal to handle the honey bees in my experience. There is a general thought that honey bees will sting etc. But that is not the case, honey bees are very human friendly creatures if you don't disturb them.
What is the minimum requirement if someone intends to start rearing honey bees?
People interested need a farming land with blooming plants. You need around 5-10 bee hives. Use of pesticides is strictly prohibited because bees will die automatically if you use pesticides. So, no pesticides or antibiotics.
You can get in touch with the agricultural department in your district for contacts who provide bee hive boxes. In some districts, the agricultural department itself sells them. If you register with the agricultural department you even get a subsidy for bee hive boxes purchase. Each bee hive box along with the bees will cost around Rs 2000-2500/-. Apart from that, you should buy the honey extractors, to extract the honey from the frames without damaging the comb and smoker which is used to remove the honey bees while collecting honey from the frames.
All the knowledge you require practically is provided in the training sessions conducted by various organizations that I mentioned earlier.
Also, when we take the bee hives, it has two layers, the bottom layer has the brood frames which consists of 5-6 frames in a wooden box. The layer above that consists of 5-6 super frames. When we collect honey, collect it only from the super frames. The bottom layer shouldn't be disturbed. That is left for the honey bees to feed on.
How long does it take to harvest honey once everything is set up?
That depends on the environment and flowering season. If the flowering season is good, you can collect the honey within 15-30 days. If the flowering season is not that good, your harvest will take around 45 days.
Every 30-45 days the honey contained in the super frames must be emptied.
What are the benefits of mono-floral honey over multi-floral honey?
Each mono-floral honey has its own medicinal properties. For example, neem honey lowers blood pressure and it is good for diabetic people. Coriander honey render anti rheumatic properties. Eucalyptus honey heals wounds, ulcers etc. and it has anti-inflammatory properties. Tulsi honey has many medicinal properties like it increases the immunity etc. Jamun honey has anti diabetic properties and lime honey is rich in vitamins and amino acids.
In India, people do not have much knowledge on mono-floral honey and so they buy multi-floral honey. In the foreign market, people buy mono-floral honey for specific reasons. So, you can fix the rate of mono-floral honey variety depending on which variety you go for - its medicinal property. So, mono-floral honey is more beneficial than multi-floral honey. Multi-floral honey costs approximately Rs 350-400/- per kg in the market.
Are there ways to identify honey purity?
That is a very challenging task. The simple test is to add a drop of honey into a cup of water. Pure honey directly settles at the bottom of the water without dispersing. It will dissolve only if we mix it.
Are there any government bodies in India which regulates the purity of honey?
For all food products, we need to get it certified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) before we sell it. This applies to honey as well. We have to provide sample for testing. They test it and certify your product.
How is apiculture trending in South India?
In South India, there is a lot of focus on commercial-based apiculture. Statistics says that in India alone, we are producing 1.2 million tonnes of honey and we have around 120 million bee colonies in India. That also gives around 15000 tons of bee wax. There are many other by-products that can be produced like bee pollen, bee wax etc. Each of these by-products has its own unique properties and uses in the market.
Have you studied the economics of this business?
I haven't delved into the economics part. But, you will need to invest around Rs 10,000 - 15,000 on bee hives, bee extractor, etc. Per year, you can earn around 3 lakhs depending on the flowering conditions and environment you give the bees. This is an approximation.
If you work smartly, you can reap better benefits. Usually we keep 3-4 frames empty, so that down the line, honey bees reproduce and then the boxes get filled completely. So, if you do it properly, ever year out of 100 boxes you can get another 100 boxes. That is a huge benefit. You can even sell your bee hive boxes after a while.
What are some of issues that one can face in this business?
Lack of rain can be an issue because lack of rain affects the blooming season. In such cases, the bees must be fed with sugar syrup. Once the blooming season sets in, the bees will automatically start collecting nectar from flowers. During less rains, you can migrate your honey bee boxes to a place where there are flowers.
A very informative and engaging session. We wish Ms Janani D success in all her endeavours.
Contact -
Ms.D.Janani, Maruthi Natural Honey,
65A/3W, South Street,
Ambasamudram, Theni - 625 517
Tamil Nadu
Ph No - 9789131233 Email : janani.biotech08@gmail.com
Ms Janani, please share details about yourself.
I am a research Scholar from the Indian Institute of Food Processing Technology, Thanjavur.
My topic is multi-floral and mono-floral honey varieties. Honey can be described as liquid gold due to its medicinal values. It has properties like anti-oxidant, anti-diuretic, anti-microbial, etc.
There are various mono-floral honey varieties like mustard honey, saffron honey, moringa honey, neem honey, eucalyptus honey, tulsi honey, jamun honey, coriander honey. Each of them have different medicinal properties and the phytochemical components present in each type of honey differs.
We collect the mono-floral honey varieties by placing bee hive boxes close to the respective plant resources. For instance, the bee hive boxes kept in the vicinity of eucalyptus plants will give us eucalyptus honey.
Whether it is mono-floral or multi-floral honey, the honey properties differ with the environmental conditions, temperature and plant sources and honey bee varieties. Generally we have four types of honey bee varieties - Italian bee, Indian bee, Little bee and Rock bee. In India, generally we employ Italian and Indian bee hives for apiculture.
Italian bee varieties give more yield in comparison to Indian bee varieties. When we collect around 5kgs honey from Indian bee hives per month, we can collect about 7 - 10kgs honey from Italian bee hives.
We have our own bee hive farm - Usha honey bee farm. My father runs the business. My father markets the product under the brand name Maruthi Natural Honey. We started this business 10 years ago and it has been successful for so long. We sell both mono-floral and multi-floral varieties and sell value added products as well like amla with honey, ginger in honey, dry fruits and nuts in honey etc.
Are you currently into the research alone or are you part of the family business as well?
I am now focussed on my study on mono-floral honey varieties. When more than 60% of a plants pollen is present in the honey, it is called mono-floral honey. Everybody sells different types of honey and it is very difficult to tell how genuine the product is when you are a new buyer. My research topic is to compare different kinds of mono-floral honey.
This institute offers Ph.D. FPE and B Tech and M Tech courses fully related to food science and technology and food processing industry. It is a central government institution. All researches conducted here revolve around food processing and related topics.
What type of honey is most prevalent in the market today?
Both varieties are available in the Indian market. India is one of the largest producers of the mono-floral honey varieties in the world. But, in India we are not aware of the types of mono-floral honey varieties and do not use it much.
How can a consumer distinguish between mono-floral and multi-floral honey varieties?
The basic difference is the smell and colour. Different mono-floral honey will have different smells. But the main and best way to distinguish them is through pollen analysis which is a laboratory test.
So, it is difficult for a consumer to identify this themselves.
The thing is that when we focus on the multi-floral honey variety the taste, flavour and colour differs according to the environmental condition, season and plant sources. This is the same for mono-floral honey varieties as well. Unprocessed mustard honey for instance will look like ghee. Saffron honey will be slightly light brown in colour, whereas the multi-floral honey tends to have a dark brown shade. So, to some extent color helps in the identification. But, you can never be sure. So, lab tests are the best source of identification.
What guidelines would you suggest for a person who wants to venture into the honey business?
Nowadays the Indian Government is focused on apiculture. The Khadi Village Industries Commission (KVIC) provides a lot of opportunities for apiculture. They provide financial support and from the agriculture department they provide honey bee boxes along with the bee hives. If anyone is interested in venturing into the apiculture business, they can directly contact the agriculture department at their district for assistance.
Additionally, many organizations provide training programmes. The Karnataka government organizes many training programmes in relation to apiculture. The Garden City University recently started short term courses related to apiculture. Classes are conducted during Saturday and Sunday for 6 months. The Tamil Nadu Agricultural University conducts specialised training programmes in apiculture. In Pune, the Central Bee Research Institute conducts training programmes.
To start this venture, people should be thorough on the honey collection and processing methodology. It is not a big deal to handle the honey bees in my experience. There is a general thought that honey bees will sting etc. But that is not the case, honey bees are very human friendly creatures if you don't disturb them.
What is the minimum requirement if someone intends to start rearing honey bees?
People interested need a farming land with blooming plants. You need around 5-10 bee hives. Use of pesticides is strictly prohibited because bees will die automatically if you use pesticides. So, no pesticides or antibiotics.
You can get in touch with the agricultural department in your district for contacts who provide bee hive boxes. In some districts, the agricultural department itself sells them. If you register with the agricultural department you even get a subsidy for bee hive boxes purchase. Each bee hive box along with the bees will cost around Rs 2000-2500/-. Apart from that, you should buy the honey extractors, to extract the honey from the frames without damaging the comb and smoker which is used to remove the honey bees while collecting honey from the frames.
All the knowledge you require practically is provided in the training sessions conducted by various organizations that I mentioned earlier.
Also, when we take the bee hives, it has two layers, the bottom layer has the brood frames which consists of 5-6 frames in a wooden box. The layer above that consists of 5-6 super frames. When we collect honey, collect it only from the super frames. The bottom layer shouldn't be disturbed. That is left for the honey bees to feed on.
How long does it take to harvest honey once everything is set up?
That depends on the environment and flowering season. If the flowering season is good, you can collect the honey within 15-30 days. If the flowering season is not that good, your harvest will take around 45 days.
Every 30-45 days the honey contained in the super frames must be emptied.
What are the benefits of mono-floral honey over multi-floral honey?
Each mono-floral honey has its own medicinal properties. For example, neem honey lowers blood pressure and it is good for diabetic people. Coriander honey render anti rheumatic properties. Eucalyptus honey heals wounds, ulcers etc. and it has anti-inflammatory properties. Tulsi honey has many medicinal properties like it increases the immunity etc. Jamun honey has anti diabetic properties and lime honey is rich in vitamins and amino acids.
In India, people do not have much knowledge on mono-floral honey and so they buy multi-floral honey. In the foreign market, people buy mono-floral honey for specific reasons. So, you can fix the rate of mono-floral honey variety depending on which variety you go for - its medicinal property. So, mono-floral honey is more beneficial than multi-floral honey. Multi-floral honey costs approximately Rs 350-400/- per kg in the market.
Are there ways to identify honey purity?
That is a very challenging task. The simple test is to add a drop of honey into a cup of water. Pure honey directly settles at the bottom of the water without dispersing. It will dissolve only if we mix it.
Are there any government bodies in India which regulates the purity of honey?
For all food products, we need to get it certified by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) before we sell it. This applies to honey as well. We have to provide sample for testing. They test it and certify your product.
How is apiculture trending in South India?
In South India, there is a lot of focus on commercial-based apiculture. Statistics says that in India alone, we are producing 1.2 million tonnes of honey and we have around 120 million bee colonies in India. That also gives around 15000 tons of bee wax. There are many other by-products that can be produced like bee pollen, bee wax etc. Each of these by-products has its own unique properties and uses in the market.
Have you studied the economics of this business?
I haven't delved into the economics part. But, you will need to invest around Rs 10,000 - 15,000 on bee hives, bee extractor, etc. Per year, you can earn around 3 lakhs depending on the flowering conditions and environment you give the bees. This is an approximation.
If you work smartly, you can reap better benefits. Usually we keep 3-4 frames empty, so that down the line, honey bees reproduce and then the boxes get filled completely. So, if you do it properly, ever year out of 100 boxes you can get another 100 boxes. That is a huge benefit. You can even sell your bee hive boxes after a while.
What are some of issues that one can face in this business?
Lack of rain can be an issue because lack of rain affects the blooming season. In such cases, the bees must be fed with sugar syrup. Once the blooming season sets in, the bees will automatically start collecting nectar from flowers. During less rains, you can migrate your honey bee boxes to a place where there are flowers.
A very informative and engaging session. We wish Ms Janani D success in all her endeavours.
Contact -
Ms.D.Janani, Maruthi Natural Honey,
65A/3W, South Street,
Ambasamudram, Theni - 625 517
Tamil Nadu
Ph No - 9789131233 Email : janani.biotech08@gmail.com